Much of what was said by leaders at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit, which is drawing to a close today, during their address to the media was lost in translation after the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) failed to turn the volume up.
Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, and Anand Sharma, India’s commerce minister, spoke in English to address the press so there was no need for any translation.
However, Dilma Rouseff, Brazil’s president, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president and Xi Jinping, China’s president, all spoke in their home languages and no one outside the auditorium could hear precisely what was being said due to the interpreters voices being barely audible.
South Africans watching the important summit on television took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with the SABC. Here is what some Twitter users had to say:
#TNABizBrief #SABCNews obviously the the translation service is not for those of us watching.* Poor planning & total disregard for viewers*
— Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP (@MkhulekoHlengwa) March 27, 2013
Some idiot at the SABC forgot that all this dignitaries will be speaking in their mother tongue, so we get no translation. #TNABizBrief
— Dennis Mashigo (@DennisMashigo) March 27, 2013
SABC would it be difficult to lower him in Chinese and raise the mic of the English interpreter? #TNABizBrief #BRICS
— Siphumelele Zondi (@SZondi) March 27, 2013
This is when knowing Mandarin could have come in hand #TNABizbrief
— Edson Charikinya (@Charikinya) March 27, 2013
